Three players who competed in last season's CHL were taken in the top four picks of this weekend's NHL Entry Draft. Auston Matthews went first, as expected, followed by Patrik Laine at No. 2 and Jesse Puljujarvi at No. 4.

CHL News

The National Hockey League conducted the first round of its annual Entry Draft on Friday in Buffalo, and three of the first four players picked played last season in the Champions Hockey League. 

As expected, centre Auston Matthews of ZSC Lions Zurich was picked first by the Toronto Maple Leafs and right winger Patrik Laine of Tappara Tampere went second to the Winnipeg Jets. Jesse Puljujarvi of Karpat Oulu went fourth overall to the Edmonton Oilers. It was expected that these players would sweep the top three, but the Columbus Blue Jackets went off the board and selected Canadian forward Pierre-Luc Dubois with the third pick.

Matthews, who has been projected for well over a year to be the top pick in 2016, made the unusual move for a North American player of heading overseas to play professionally in Europe in the season leading up to his draft. He recorded 46 points (24 + 22) in 36 NLA regular-season games, helping Zurich to a first-place finish. He then had 3 assists in 4 playoff games as the Lions were swept out of the quarter-finals by eventual champions SC Bern.

Matthews missed the Group Stage of the CHL, as he wasn't allowed to sign a contract in Switzerland until his 18th birthday on 17 September. He played both of Zurich's games in the Round of 32 against Sparta Prague, tallying 1 assist. At the time, he claimed the NHL Draft was the farthest thing from his mind.

“That's not really something I focus on,” he said after his first CHL game. “I see this more as an opportunity to improve and get my game to where it should be so that when the time comes I'm ready to play in the NHL.”

Marc Crawford, a former coach in the Maple Leafs organization who coached Zurich last season and is now an assistant coach for the Ottawa Senators, gave Matthews a bit of advice on what to expect in Toronto.

“A lot of pressure and under the microscope, especially with the media, but he said if I eventually go there, it'll be a blast, so now that I'm a part of the organization I couldn't be happier,” Matthews said in a press conference after the Draft.

Laine is just coming off a dream season which saw him rise in the rankings to challenge Matthews for the top pick. He had 33 points in 46 regular-season games, then exploded in the playoffs with 15 points (10 + 5) in 18 games to capture the playoff MVP team as Tappara won the title. 

Despite that, and winning a World Junior gold medal and then silver and the MVP at the senior event, Friday in Buffalo was something really special for him.

“It was the best day and best moment of my life so far,” Laine said in the post-draft press conference. I’ve been waiting for this moment now for 18 years. I’m just really happy and very proud of myself and just honoured to be here.”

When asked about Puljujarvi dropping to fourth, Laine said, “I'm not going to say anything about that … He's going to have a real good career and a real good season there and I think (Edmonton) will be a good place.” Describing his longtime teammate, he said, “He's a good skater, he's physical and he can also score. He's also good in the offensive zone. He's just really good.”

For his part, Puljujarvi seemed glad to be picked by the Oilers, telling the gathered media, “I’m really happy now. It’s a nice city and a great team. I’m ready to play next year for the Edmonton Oilers.”

When asked about the possibility of playing on the same forward line as last year's top pick, Connor McDavid, he answered, “Connor is a very good player, and I hope I play next year with him.” 

Puljujarvi is just coming off his first full professional season, after making his professional debut as a 16-year-old in the CHL in August 2014. Over two seasons he played 81 total Liiga games and recorded 38 points (21 + 17) and was a member of Karpat's Finnish championship team in 2015. In the CHL, he played 16 games over two seasons, including the 2016 Final on home ice in Oulu. He tallied 2 assists. 

On how playing professionally in Europe has helped him, Puljujarvi said, “I learned a lot about what it’s like to be a professional hockey player, and play with men and have to fight for a spot on the roster.”  

All three players crossed have crossed paths frequently over the years, particularly Laine and Puljujarvi, who have played against each other in domestic leagues and various levels and played together on Finnish national teams. Along with linemate Sebastian Aho of Karpat, the trio dominated the World Junior Championship in Finland this past winter, leading the Finns to the gold medal with Puljujarvi winning the scoring title and tournament MVP. Matthews' US team won the bronze. At the World Championship in Russia, Matthews and Laine were also compared heavily and went head-to-head in a highly-anticipated game early in the tournament.

While all three players are expected to go to the training camps of their respective NHL teams and miss the CHL this season, there will be other players drafted in Rounds 2 through 7 who should be back. Among the possibilities are Farjestad Karlstad centre Rasmus Asplund, Skelleftea AIK defenceman Sebastian Aho, Bili Tygri Liberec forward Dominik Lakatos, JYP Jyvaskyla goalie Veini Vehvilainen and Matthews's former teammate, Zurich centre Pius Suter.